I found this article relating to the supermarket closures throughout Korea and got a little better understanding of what was going on. The government keeps talking about needing to preserve the traditional markets, but to me it seems a waste of time. Of course these markets were good for their time and served well. However, this is the modern age with different ways of handling things. Wanting various products from different regions is a demand of a lot of people these days. A person can't find a variety of items at a traditional market.

I think traditional markets won't disappear, but will become a novelty that will remain for people who want to experience that traditional atmosphere from the past.

On a different note, forcing stores to close two days out of the month and not allowing stores to remain open for 24 hours hurts the job market. What if you depend on that Sunday to work to make ends meet? What about the people who could benefit from having a job where they work the graveyard shift? Not saying that is the best circumstance, but there are people who need these kinds of jobs.

My town has invested a lot in its downtown traditional market. Repaved all the little streets, put glass roofs over much of it, put up big colorfully lit arches throughout, created ample free parking nearby, & rebranded it with "Tourist" in its name.

A few years ago with the advent of Emart here it was definitely starting to fade, but it seems to be enjoying a rebirth. The booths & products are much the same as ever, but often cheaper & fresher than what Emart offers. Fairly busy now & bustling on weekends. Middle-class families with their kids make an event of going there, a bit of living traditional culture.